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Understanding Sexual Risk Behaviors among Persons Living with HIV/AIDS in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire

TRAORE, Fatoumata
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1112511160

Abstract Details

2005, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
Background: Recent studies have found that as many as one in three HIV infected persons may continue to engage in unprotected sex, sexual contact often occurring with seronegative or unknown status partners. While the issue of prevention has received greater attention in developed countries, little is known about the extent to which persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) might continue to engage in high-risk sexual behaviors in sub-Saharan Africa. Objectives: Propose and test a conceptual model explaining sexual-risk behaviors among PLWHA in terms of cognitive and situational factors. Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire (West Africa). The study sample consisted of HIV-positive men and women at various stages of their illness and currently attending one of the largest outpatient clinics for HIV patients. All the data were collected through face-to-face structured interviews. Results: Three hundred forty-nine (349) valid questionnaires were completed. Fifty percent (50%) of the study sample reported one regular partner; 10% reported casual partners and 7% reported multiple partners. Over one-third of the respondents had engaged in high-risk sexual behaviors during the previous 6 months. As posited, two cognitive factors (an internal and external) emerged from the factor analysis process. Although only a small to moderate variance was explained by the model, most of the hypothesized effects were statistically significant: the internal cognitive and the situational factors were inversely related to sexual risk behaviors; the internal cognitive factor also partially mediated the relationship between situational factor and sexual risk-taking. The external cognitive had no significant effect on the outcome. Different models were found for the men and women. Conclusions: The present study indicates that the behavior of a sizable number of HIV patients may continue to increase the burden of the disease at the population. Because access to care is still very limited in sub-Saharan Africa, secondary prevention should be an important part of the routine care for persons living with HIV/AIDS. Moreover, findings suggest that merely encouraging individuals to engage in safe sex behaviors in order to protect others may not be as efficient as appealing to their moral norms and self-confidence for condom use.
Mendel Singer (Advisor)
205 p.
HIV/AIDS; SEXUAL; condom; SEXUAL RISK; cognitive factors; RISK BEHAVIORS; SEXUAL RISK BEHAVIORS

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • TRAORE, F. (2005). Understanding Sexual Risk Behaviors among Persons Living with HIV/AIDS in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1112511160

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • TRAORE, Fatoumata. Understanding Sexual Risk Behaviors among Persons Living with HIV/AIDS in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. 2005. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1112511160.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • TRAORE, Fatoumata. "Understanding Sexual Risk Behaviors among Persons Living with HIV/AIDS in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1112511160

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1112511160
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© 2005, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.